NEW LONDON, Conn. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's water polo team dropped a 15-6 decision to host Connecticut College in the regular season finale for both teams this evening at Lott Natatorium in New London, Conn.
The Lyons dip to 0-17, while the Camels improve to 3-8.
Wheaton held a slight 36-35 shooting edge in the match.
First year attacker Claudia Gagné (Orlando, Fla.) led the Lyons with a game-high six steals to go with a goal, two assists and two drawn exclusions. Sophomore attacker Ryanna Ritting (Perkasie, Pa.) also tallied three points with a goal and two assists in addition to three steals. Junior attacker Sophia Romo (Jupiter, Fla.) netted a goal and added an assist and a steal. First year goalie Anduena Kraja (Chicago, Ill.) made 11 saves for Wheaton.
Connecticut College received contributions on both sides of the pool from four different goalies. Senior driver Emma Luna (Wahiawa, Hawaii) led all players with eight points on three goals and five assists and added a pair of steals, while logging the final quarter in net for the Camels. She stopped six of eight shots that she faced. First year goalie Juno Aselton (Brooklyn, N.Y.) turned away three of five shots in net in the second quarter and came out to score three markers and make three steals. Junior starting keeper Maddie Baybeck (Ann Arbor, Mich.) denied three of four shots in the opening quarter and scored a goal and registered a field block. Sophomore 2-meter Sarah Nagel (Honolulu, Hawaii) tallied three goals and a steal and senior driver Melia Torch (Encinitas, Calif.) dished out four assists to go with a goal, four drawn exclusions and two steals.
The Camels scored the first six goals of the game, fueled by a trio of scores from Luna. First year center Avary Guge (Winchester, Calif.) put the Lyons on the board with just four ticks left in the opening period to make it 6-1.
Gagné netted the first marker of the second quarter to cut the deficit to 6-2 for Wheaton, before Connecticut College received goals from senior 2-meter defender Anna Taylor (Pleasanton, Calif.) and Lorch to close out the half and give the home team an 8-2 advantage.
The Camels scored three of the first four goals of the third quarter, including a pair from Aselton, to take an 11-3 lead with 4:36 left in the period. Senior attacker Josephine Basco (Painesville, Ohio) found the back of the net for the Lyons just 17 seconds later to make it 11-4. Connecticut College netted the final three goals of the quarter, paced by two goals from Nagel, to take a 14-4 cushion into the final quarter of play.
Romo and first year attacker Toni Munguia (Temecula, Calif.) netted the first two goals of the final period for Wheaton to pull it within 14-6 with 5:25 showing in the quarter. Aselton scored the final marker of the night to give the Camels their 15th goal.
The Lyons return to the pool on Friday, April 10 at 10:00 a.m. when they host Pennsylvania State University Behrend in the opening round of the Collegiate Water Polo Association Tournament Championship as the number nine and eight seeds, respectively. Connecticut College enters the tournament as the seventh seed and takes on second-seeded Macalester College at 11:30 a.m. on April 10 in Norton, Mass.
